Autumn Leaves
by Lolsome-o-sis girl
Summary: [Tom/Lexi] Lexi's first embarrassment that Monday morning was colliding with a stranger on the Underground. The second was telling him that he had nice eyes.
1. Public Transport

**Autumn Leaves**

 _Fandom: Wizards Vs Aliens_

 _Rating: K+_

 _Genre: Romance_

 _Pairing: Tom/Lexi, Varg/Lyzera_

 _Summary: Lexi's first embarrassment that Monday morning was colliding with a stranger on the Underground. The second was telling him that he had nice eyes. Tom/Lexi MULTICHAPTER._

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 **AN: I haven't written for this fandom in months! I really want to write something that's just complete fluff, so if you** **too** **want a** **short, simple,** **angst-free** **fic** **to read about** **a couple of** **idiots in love, here you are!**

 **This will be updated as often as I can, whenever I have time amongst my other responsibilities, but I hope that you all enjoy it anyway. I really do miss this show (and Lexi).**

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 **DISCLAIMER. I own neither WvA or the Spotify playlist that this is named after (which is really relaxing to listen to, and I highly recommend it).**

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 **1.** _ **Public Transport**_

It's at this time of year that Lexi doesn't like where she lives.

It's nearing the last few days of October, the heart of the autumn season. It's the only time of the year that Lexi actually enjoys, the time when the leaves darken from bright green to crimson and amber and sunshine yellow, when she can step outside and feel a cool morning breeze biting at her cheeks and fingertips. There's nothing better, in her mind, than walking in the early hours of the morning, rucksack on her back, headphones wedged into her ears, watching the sunlight filter in through the branches of the oak trees as her boots crunched through the leaves that had already fallen.

Which is exactly why living on the outskirts of London has its drawbacks; instead of the glorious morning walk through the park that she could have had on her way to her nine o'clock Biology lecture, here she is: squashed in amongst the early morning commuters headed for the bustling city centre, her earbuds playing music at the loudest volume possible to block out the sound of the rolling announcements that tell her that the next station is Westminster and that this is a District line train, trying to work out whether or not the gentleman with the bushy beard and the top hat who she swears she's seen somewhere before is waving at her or at someone stood in the crowd around her.

She shifts her weight from one foot to the next in order to get rid of the aching in them that comes from standing in one position for nearly half an hour, tightening her grip on the green handrail as the train rattles noisily towards the next station, narrowly avoiding a collision with the elbow of another passenger reading the newspaper, keeping her eyes trained on the floor and tapping out the rhythm of the gentle acoustic piece of music playing in her ears. She would have started singing along too if the carriage had been empty; she knows better than that, however. On public transport, she worked out a long time ago that it's better to keep your head down and not say anything that would draw attention to yourself. She's been on the wrong side of that situation many times herself, and Varg will most likely never let her forget it, as long as both of them are still living.

 _The next station is Westminster_ , the female announcement informs them from overheard, breaking through Lexi's futile attempt at calm; she raises her eyes to the electronic banner rolling above the door opposite her, reading along with the bright orange digital text. _Change for_ _Jubilee and Circle_ _line_ _s_ _. Please mind the gap between the train and the platform._

"Oh!" She lets out a yelp, suddenly going flying, losing her grip on the handrail as the carriage sails over a bump in the track, stumbling. Her right foot catches on the trailing laces of her boots as she knocks into another passenger, falling forward even further and effectively pinning the unlucky person against the side of the train as the train judders to a halt alongside the platform in Westminster tube station.

"Sorry, sorry!" She says hastily, almost losing her rucksack off her back as other people begin to move towards the doors. A pair of dark brown eyes stare back, wide with confusion and bewilderment, belonging to a boy who looks to be about her age, and who is clearly just as uncomfortable with this as she is.

"You have really nice eyes," Lexi squeaks suddenly, before feeling her cheeks flush a dark red colour, almost the same shade as the leaves on the trees up on the surface above them. "I mean, um -" She staggers backwards into the flow of the other passengers, letting herself be swept off the train, nearly taking a tumble down the small gap that separates the train from the platform (it's because of people like her, she thinks, the ones lost in their own heads half of the time that the extreme amount of recorded safety announcements are constantly played, or even in place at all on the London Underground transport network), praying that the crisp breeze on ground level will set about removing the redness in her face once she gets out of the station.


	2. Flowerpot Revolution

**2.** _ **Flowerpot Revolution**_

"There you are!" Are the first words that Lexi is greeted with when she all but sprints through the door of the Biology lab where the rest of her fellow students are waiting for the lecturer. Jathro removes his messenger bag from the stool beside him in order to let her sit down, his glasses balancing on the end of his nose, almost sliding off. "Where were you? Are the tube drivers on strike again or something? I was about to call the police and start putting up missing posters for you."

Lexi places two plastic Starbucks cups on the tabletop and almost collapses down into the seat. "Just needed to take a coffee detour on the way here. I got you that toffee blend that you like so much."

Jathro's face lights up into a smile as she pushes the drink towards him. "You're a princess, Lex'. An utter princess, you know that?" He takes a long gulp from the cup and sighs contentedly. "Yep. That's some good stuff right there."

"Mmhm," Lexi agrees wordlessly, the warm coffee in her own order soothing the somersaults that are currently going off in her stomach.

"So, what prompted this? You only ever drink coffee this early in the morning when something's wrong."

That's one of the problems with having Jathro as her only friend. He's far too observant for his own good. Lexi lets out a sigh, pushing her blonde hair out of her eyes. "Oh, nothing. Just embarrassed myself on the tube in front of a whole crowd of people. You know, a usual Monday morning in my life."

Jathro shakes his head, letting his glasses drop down onto the desk in front of them as his best friend picks at a thread that's coming loose from her oversized navy-coloured jumper. "Dammit, Lexi. What did you do this time?"

She's silent for a minute, before she speaks again, toying with the Starbucks on the table in front of her. "I may or may not have tripped over my own feet, collapsed on top of a stranger and told him that he had nice eyes."

Jathro snorts loudly, momentarily catching the attention of the others around them. "That's absolutely hilarious!"

"I'm glad my misfortune is so amusing to you," Lexi replies, her tone dry.

"Aw, c'mon, don't pull that face!" He nudges her shoulder with a grin, ready to say more but cut off by the sound of the lecturer entering.

"Good morning, my little flower pots!" Mr Fisher - first name David - calls cheerfully from the front of the room, dropping his briefcase on the floor next to the whiteboard. "Are we all ready for some Biology fun?"

"Whoo!" Jathro cheers under his breath in a sarcastic tone, causing Lexi to smirk.

"No need to sound so enthusiastic or anything." She lowers the volume of her voice as Mr Fisher turns and writes something on the board for them to copy.

"Look, L -" He drains the last of his drink "- it was cute during the first week or so, okay? Now it's just a little pitiful. I don't particularly want to be known as a flowerpot for the next three years." He taps his pen against the desk. "Maybe we should start a flowerpot revolution. Fight for our justice."

"I wasn't aware that flowerpots could have revolutions."

"Up until last week you weren't aware that our boss had been dating your brother for three months," Jathro points out.

"That was different," Lexi insists. She's been trying to delete the memory of _that_ awkward conversation from her memory completely.

Her best friend looks amused. "How so?"

"Mr Kooth, Miss Nekross." Mr Fisher's voice cuts across their hushed whispering. He's watching them from the other side of the room, arms folded. "Is that a private conversation that you're having over there or can anyone contribute?"

"Private, actually," Jathro replies. Lexi digs him in the side with her elbow.

"Sorry, Mr Fisher," she says, ignoring the looks she's getting from her friend. Mr Fisher rolls his eyes out of some kind of exasperated amusement but nods, picking up where the lecture had left off. Lexi curls a strand of hair behind her ear, trying to pay attention this time round, until a piece of paper nudges her hand.

 **Embarrassment** **number two of your Monday morning, I take it?**

 _Three, actually._ _No thanks to you._

 **Hey, don't shoot the interested secondary character in this story. Speaking of which, this morning. Underground. Tell me** **everything** **.**

 _I've told you everything. I embarrassed myself and then made a break for it._

Jathro's brow furrows as he scribbles his reply.

 **No, no, not** **that** **everything! I mean, everything about this stranger! Who was it?**

 _Just some boy. I don't think I've ever seen_ _him_ _before._

 **That's not very descriptive.**

 _What do you want from me?_

 **DETAILS.** **NOW.**

 _OK. He had brown eyes. There._

 **LEXI.**

 _WHAT._

 **DETAILS.** **Tall/short? Blonde? Brunette? Attractive?** **THOSE** **SORTS OF DETAILS.**

 _You sound far too interested for your own good._

 **It's my responsibility to be, as your best friend.**

 _OK. Fine. Shorter than me, but probably tall compared to everyone else. Brown hair. Brown eyes. I suppose that's attractive; I was too busy dying of_ _embarrassment_ _to really notice. Was that better?_

 **I'm sure you didn't embarrass yourself that much.**

 _Oh, I did. It was awful._

 **Hey, look on the bright side. At least it was someone you didn't know.**

Lexi hums quietly to herself under her breath. She hasn't considered that factor before now.

 _That's true._

 **You'll probably never see him again anyway.**

 _One can only hope._

"You know what _I_ hope, Miss Nekross?" Mr Fisher says from behind them, causing the pair of them to jump. "That you and Mr Kooth will actually start paying attention to my class from now on instead of passing notes across the desk."

Lexi ducks her head as their fellow students all turn and stare in their direction, cheeks tinged red. Make that embarrassment number four of her Monday morning.


	3. Spider Mouse

**3.** _**Spider Mouse**_

"Jathro."

"What?"

Lexi smiles at her friend's confused face. "Your name badge is on upside down again."

Jathro clucks his tongue as he sighs and rearranges his name badge. "I don't see why you people always make such a big deal out of it. Maybe I'm trying to be less mainstream to fit in the theme of the workplace?" He gestures around The Ringed Moon with one hand, whilst the other grips yet another mug of tea. It's his third since the start of their three hour shift.

It's an old building, The Ringed Moon, with a high pointed roof and cracks in the paintwork. It's only been a few years since Lyzera, their boss and Varg's significant other, had moved her company in and set up the indie music shop, filling it with vintage posters, incense candles and rows upon rows of vinyl records from every decade imaginable (there's even a sign in the window that reads _Vinyl Is Forever_ , one that Lyzera had made Jathro slave tirelessly over until it was perfect).

Lexi picks again at the thread of her jumper, leaning against the counter, nudging her best friend's shoulder. "Hey, at least you won't have Lyzera on your case all the time."

"I wish the same could be said for you," Jathro replies. "Seriously, what are you going to do if Varg gets down on one knee and all that stuff? What will you do if she becomes your _step sister_?"

"Hm. Leave home and come stay with you?" She glances at him hopefully, causing him to grin.

"You'd be sleeping on the living room floor if you did. Besides, do you really want to go from putting up with Lyzera everyday to putting up with my mother everyday? You know how she feels about _that friend of yours, Lexi_." He pulls a face as he takes on an impersonation of his mother. " _Now, really, my child, you should think about getting yourself some nice_ _, normal_ _friends; I don't trust that blonde girl_."

"She honestly couldn't be worse than having Lyzera breathing down my neck constantly. And it's not like Varg will do anything about it. He's absolutely smitten with her, so whatever I say will be deemed ridiculous."

"Hey, look on the bright side," Jathro replies. "At least you're entitled to family discounts on everything in stock, and you're guaranteed to keep your job. Lyzera will never sack you whilst she's with your brother. Whereas, I, on the other hand..."

"Oh, come on!" Lexi gives him a playful shove as the familiar sound of the bell above the door resonates through the air, a gust of the crisp afternoon breeze sailing over in her direction as a gathering of about five or six people spill their way into the warmly lit shop. "This place couldn't survive without you, Jathro, and you know it. Who else would -?" She stops suddenly, freezing in the middle of her sentence as her eyes wander over to the gaggle of what appear to be students now flicking their way through the display cabinet closest to the door.

Oh, no.

No, no, no, no, no.

"Lexi?" Jathro blinks, his lips curling in an confused smirk. "Lexi, what are you - Lex', what - Are you _hiding_ -?"

"Shh!" Lexi hisses, tugging at the bottom of his shirt, sending him flying with the force of her grip, almost spilling the leftover liquid still in his cup. "Get down here!"

"Wh - _Hey!_ " He ends up half sprawled across the floor, running his hands through his hair and pulling a face at her as he sits up. "What the heck was that for? What are you _doing_?"

Lexi nods towards the group who've just entered, keeping her voice hushed. "It's _him_. It's that boy from the tube this morning - the one I completely embarrassed myself in front of!"

"What? No way!" Jathro snorts loudly. "I've got to see this!" He moves to stand, but Lexi clamps her hand down on his arm, reducing him to a crouch, his eyes being the only thing visible above the counter. "Which one is it? There's a lot of them."

Lexi mimics his position, sitting on her knees so that she could peer at the small crowd. "Him. Over in the corner. The one next to the boy with glasses."

"Where? Oh, no, wait, I see him!" If she wasn't holding on to him right now, Lexi suspects that her best friend would have been clapping in excitement. "You were right, you know. He is attractive."

" _Jathro_!"

"What? C'mon, you can get a proper look at him now!" He nods towards the boy in question. "What do you think?"

Lexi risks another gaze in the aforementioned boy's direction; he's moved away from the rest of the group, the one in glasses a few paces behind him, chatting away about something that Lexi can't quite hear - not that the boy looks particularly interested anyway, only giving polite nods as a way of reply. He's too busy searching through the stock, pulling out a vinyl every now and then, using the back of one hand to push strands of his fringe away from his eyes.

"Well?" Jathro nudges her.

"He's alright, I suppose," she mumbles.

" _Alright_? He's a bit more than _alright_ ; I mean, I'm not into that or anything, but I'm comfortable enough in myself to admit he's good looking."

She returns her eyes across the room. The boy in question frowns suddenly, eyes leaving the record currently in his hands to flicker over in their direction. Lexi quickly ducks down behind the counter again, dragging Jathro with her a second later when she realises that he's still trying to get a good look.

"You think he saw us?" She asks.

"Nah." Jathro gives a shrug. "And, even if he did, what does it matter? A pretty girl like you staring at him probably made his day a whole lot brighter."

"Too bad I'm not a pretty girl, then."

Jathro lets out a melodramatic sigh. "Stop that this instant, Lexi. You have the Nekross family genes; all of your lot are stupidly, ridiculously attractive."

Lexi simply sticks her tongue out in response. She knows that Jathro's heart is in the right place, but he's her best friend. He's under obligation to compliment her, just as she is to him.

"What _on earth_ is going on here?"

Jathro releases a high pitched shriek at the sound of the voice. Lexi resists the urge to let out a groan, as she glances up. Lyzera is peering over the counter, purple hair hanging around her face, her arms folded, unimpressed.

"Hello, Lyzera."

The older woman lets out a noise of exasperation. "Lexi, would you mind explaining just what you and Mr Kooth are doing down there?"

"I...I dropped something," Lexi replies.

"We were dusting!" Jathro says at the same time, still sounding fearful, making his best friend dig him in the ribs.

"Yes. Jathro, um, was dusting, and I, uh, dropped something, because, um...I thought I saw something...move?" She winces. That's a terrible excuse, even for her.

"Really?" If Lexi isn't convinced by her own lie, Lyzera certainly isn't. "And just what exactly _was_ it that you thought you saw?"

"A spider," Jathro jumps in.

"Mouse."

"A spider... _mouse_." Lyzera's eyebrow rises towards her hairline. " _Well_. It appears you two think that we have something of a mutant hiding in our shop, don't you?" She flashes them a sarcastic smile. "In the future, Lexi, dear, maybe you should spend less time crawling around on the floor and more time doing your job." Lexi can almost here the unspoken _I shall be telling your brother about this_ at the end of that sentence.

"Yes, Lyzera," she mutters, rising from her crouched position and helping Jathro to his feet too.

"Phew." Her best friend sags against the counter once their employer has gone. "That was close."

"Hm," Lexi agrees, glancing over at the group of students again. Almost all of them are gone, milling around on the pavement outside, laughing and shoving each other; the boy from the Underground incident is still there, however, along with his friend with the glasses and another blonde boy. The blonde is holding the door open, tapping his feet impatiently and rolling his eyes.

"Come _on_ , Clarkey!" He says eventually, his tone irritated.

"Tom?" The other cleans his glasses on his shirt before placing them back on his face. "You coming?" The boy - Tom, as Lexi now knows - takes one last look at the display in front of him, before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"Yeah," he says after a moment. "Coming."

He follows them out of the shop without looking back once. Lexi feels her chest heave with relief.


	4. Stomaching Cold Turkey

**4.** _ **Stomaching Cold Turkey**_

"Are you sure that you're going to be okay?"

"For the last time, _yes_." Lexi dumps another box of vinyl releases on the counter, pushing a lock of hair out of her eyes as she glances at her best friend. "I think I can handle locking up the shop on my own, Jathro. I've done it plenty of times before."

Jathro rolls his eyes. "You know that's not what I mean." He fiddles with the zip on his jacket. "But, are you sure, though? 'Cause I can stay and keep you company if you want -"

"Jathro!" Lexi makes a shoo-ing motion with one hand. "Seriously. _Go_. I'll be fine."

"Okay, okay!" Jathro holds up his hands in mock surrender, backing out of the door. "Making a note to myself: _Don't get in the way of Lexi Nekross' alone time._ Got it!"

Lexi shakes her head, waving after him with one hand as she begins to sort through the bundle of records, organising them via genre. Usually she detests the nights when it's her turn to lock up The Ringed Moon after closing time - it's an extra two hours that she has to spend at work that she could have been spending doing other, more interesting things - but today, she's quite glad of it. Lyzera has invited herself over for dinner, yet again, and Lexi wants to keep out of her way as much as possible, especially after the spider mouse incident. It's Thursday today - three days after that afternoon - and she still hasn't been forgiven for messing about during working hours. Not that Lexi thinks that Lyzera would forgive her if she found out the real reason why she had hiding behind the counter. The older woman won't care about Lexi's mishap on the Underground earlier this week; if anything, it will be a source of amusement to her.

At least she hasn't seen that boy since then. For the past three days, she's been getting on the Underground, frantically searching her carriage every time that they stopped at the next station just in case he got on and she had to make a run for it, and everyday she's heaved a huff of relief when she's made it to her lectures without any further humiliation.

Sighing now, Lexi pulls her cardigan around her a little tighter, the hem of her dress brushing against her knees as she selects another record from the crate in front of her, moving across the room to where an ancient turntable sits, gathering dust. It's supposed to be a relic, left in the corner to be something pretty to look at, but Lexi can't stand the thought of leaving it to go to ruin, so it's on nights like these when it's her turn to stay behind and close the shop that she smudges the dust away with her fingertips, playing record after record until she has to drag herself away.

The speakers crackle for a few seconds, before the record swells into life, sweeping through The Ringed Moon. Lexi nods her head in time to the beat, returning to the counter in order to retrieve the records that need to be stacked on the shelf marked _New Releases_. The lyrics are easy to pick up, and soon she finds herself singing along, oblivious to whoever might here her in the realms of the outside world. That's what she loves about the music that she has access to in the little indie shop in which she works; the music there infuses every intricate little part of a person, seeps directly into their soul.

"You have a nice voice."

Lexi lets out a yelp, almost dropping the remainder of the pile in her hands. "What the -?" She glances towards the door; the boy from the Underground - Tom, his name is, she remembers - is standing in the doorway, arms folded, watching her with interested expression. She tries to keep the redness away from her face at the memory of the incident on Monday morning. "How the heck did you get in here?"

Tom nods behind him. "The door was open."

Lexi looks over his shoulder and sees that he is right. She suppresses a groan. Typical Jathro. He insists on never shutting a door properly, despite the countless times Lexi or Lyzera remind him.

"You know it's past closing time, don't you?" She asks aloud, quickly placing the vinyl collection on the shelf as the song on the turntable draws to a close.

"Yeah. I noticed."

"So, what are you doing here, then? If my boss ever finds out that I let you walk in unnoticed, I'll get sacked almost instantly."

He shrugs. "I heard you through the door. I was curious."

"Oh." Lexi shuffles, not sure what else to say to that. She's still clinging on to the hope that maybe, by some miracle, he doesn't recognise her as the girl who made a fool of herself and probably embarrassed both of them. "And was your curiosity satisfied?"

"I'd say so." Tom unfolds his arms and stuffs his hands into his pockets. "For now, at least."

" _For now?_ "

"Well..." There's now an amused smirk on his face. "When someone ends up shoving you against the side of a tube carriage and then tells you that you have nice eyes, it does take a while to get over that type of curiosity."

Dammit. Clearly he hasn't forgotten. Lexi can't keep the heat away from her face this time. "I'm - I really _am_ sorry about that -"

"Hey, don't be. I thought it was sweet, actually."

She blinks. "You did?"

"Yeah. Very sweet." He smiles at her, and Lexi can't help but smile too. She's about to say something in reply, when a loud chime echoes from her pocket.

"Sorry." She reaches into her pocket and brings out her phone. Two texts. One from Jathro, probably about something to do with Biology, and one from Varg. She opens the one from her brother.

 _ **Are you coming home at any point today? Lyzera's very kindly left some dinner in the fridge for you. I hope you can stomach turkey sandwiches. VN. [Sent 16.58]**_

She rolls her eyes and tucks the device away again, reaching over the counter to where her rucksack sits. "Looks like my presence is needed at home for some reason. Seems like they can't survive without me." She chuckles softly at her own words, shaking her head.

Tom scratches the back of his neck with one hand, watching as she rescues the vinyl off the turntable, rummaging in her pocket and leaving some money on the counter for one of her colleagues to sort out in the morning (she's decided that she rather likes the song, actually, and would like to listen to it again once she's sitting in her room to keep out of her brother's way), suddenly looking rather shy. "Sure. But, um, we should, y'know, hang out sometime." He uses his free hand to gesture between them. "Y'know, if you're not busy, or anything."

The statement catches her off guard. "Really?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Actually - here -" He digs around inside his own pockets and brings out a slip of paper, holding it out towards her. "That's my number, if you want it."

Lexi takes the paper, letting it sit in the palm of her hand. "I, uh - Thanks." She smooths it out with her fingertips. _Tom Clarke_ is scrawled there in messy handwriting, along with a mobile number and a smiley face.

 _Well_ , is all her brain can muster up, _this was certainly unexpected._


	5. Cats Begin To Howl

**5\. Cats Begin To Howl**

Lexi's resolve lasts longer than she expects.

She stomps her feet as she steps into the warmth of the hallway, dragging her boots against the doormat, kicking them off as she does so. The living room is flooded with light, the hum of the television playing in the background. Lyzera must still be around, then. Lexi grabs her shoes and dodges past the doorway, almost sliding along the polished floorboards in her fuzzy socks, not wanting to be forced to make polite conversation with her older brother or his significant other, retreating into the kitchen to forage for food. She doesn't really fancy the turkey sandwiches that Lyzera had laid out for her, reaching instead for a handful of cherries, popping one into her mouth and nudging the fridge door closed with her hip, trying not to make any loud noises as she edges back along the hallway and up the spiralling staircase towards her room.

She lets her rucksack slide to the floor as soon as she steps inside, dropping her shoes unceremoniously as she does so, moving straight to her desk to retrieve her laptop and slide a vinyl onto the small turntable sitting there, the music beginning to fill the room as she clambers onto her bed, sitting on top of the blankets and leaning her elbow on the windowsill.

She chats idly with Jathro for a little while over Skype, collaborating and sharing their notes from Mr Fisher's lectures, and how exactly they're going to help with their Biology paper, due in a few weeks time. It's about three hours after their call began that Jathro throws down his pen with a melodramatic sigh.

"It's no use, Lex'. I'm clearly not going to get anything else done tonight." There's a squeaking in the background as he spins around on his chair. Lexi rests her notes on the windowsill next to her arm, fumbling until she's got the blankets out from underneath her and has pulled them up to her chin. "How was locking up the shop?"

She gives a light shrug. "Oh, you know...Boring, really. Same as ever."

"Uh hu." Even in pixelated form, Jathro's deadpan expression is still pretty powerful. "Don't even try that with me, Lexi Nekross, don't you even try. What's happened? Tell me everything." A pause. "You know that we're just going to sit here in silence until you tell me, right?"

Lexi sighs. "Remind me again, why am I friends with you?"

"Because I'm amazing," Jathro replies, as if this is a universally recognised fact. "Now, c'mon, spill the beans. Don't leave me on edge in this way."

"Alright. Um, you know we saw the boy from the Underground in the shop the other day?"

" _Yeeees_?" Jathro drags the word out, gesturing for her to continue.

"Well, he, er, may or may not have turned up at the shop today -"

"You're kidding!" He cuts her off with an eager shriek; Lexi almost has to cover her ears. "That is just - _Wow_! Go on, don't stop there. What happened? What did you say? What did _he_ say?"

"Not much, really. I asked what he was doing there during closing hours, he complimented my singing -"

"He did _what_?" Jathro looks almost giddy with excitement. "Ooh! Someone sounds like they've got a little crush on you!"

Lexi blinks. "Excuse me?"

"Lexi, I love you - I mean, of course I do, you're my best friend, so I have to love you - but you can't sing without cats beginning to howl. No one compliments your singing."

"Maybe I'm an acquired taste."

"Not quite the word I'd use, but okay." Jathro shakes his head. "But, anyway, what happened next? Did you exchange names? Lifelong dreams? Numbers?" He lets out another mildly inhuman noise at his best friend's silence. "You did? You _did_! This is priceless! Have you talked to him yet?"

"Well, no, but -"

"Why not? Do it!"

Lexi ponders for a moment, before huffing, reaching for her phone. "You're an awful best friend."

"I know," Jathro agrees cheerfully, watching as she enters the number into her contacts and then proceeds to stare at the flickering cursor for a few moments. "Well?"

"Hang on a minute," she grumbles. "I'm trying to think of what to say."

" _Hello_ might be a good start."

Lexi can't deny that he's right in this situation.

 _Hello. [Sent 20.45]_

She lays the phone down on top of her notes and shifts her laptop to one side, hurrying across the room to change the record and scrambling back a few seconds later, wrapping herself tighter in the cocoon of blankets that she has made for herself.

"Well?" Jathro demands. "Has he said anything yet?"

"He's probably busy."

"Busy?" Her best friend looks mildly offended at the mere suggestion. "No one, male or female, should be too busy to talk to a great girl like you."

"Shut up."

"No, _you_ shut up!" Jathro sticks his tongue out at the camera, causing Lexi to snort and shake her head, just as her phone buzzes on the windowsill. Jathro's face becomes serious almost immediately. "Is that him?"

"Why don't you actually give me a minute to check?" Lexi unlocks the screen, watching the lock screen transition into the message thread she last looked at.

 **Hi :) [Sent 20.47]**

"Okay," Jathro announces, making his best friend jump and look up from the phone. He's grinning. "Going by that sappy look on your face, I'm going to assume it's mystery Monday Morning Disaster boy, so I'm gonna leave you two to have some privacy. Don't stay up too late now."

"Yes, _Mother_ ," Lexi says in reply, rolling her eyes and ending the call with Jathro's laughter still echoing from the tinny laptop speakers. She puts it to one side and picks up her phone again.

 _How are you? [Sent 20.48]_

She doesn't have to wait long for a reply. **Better now that you're here ;) You? [Sent 20.50]**

 _Well, a little scared after that, to be honest :) [Sent 20.51]_

 **I have that effect on people. [Sent 20.51]**

Lexi almost laughs out loud. _Well, at least you're honest. [Sent 18.52]_

 **Of course I am. Honesty is the best policy :) [Sent 20.52]**

 _Can't argue with that. [Sent 20.53]_

She's about to type something else too when the phone comes to life, the screen changing and fluorescent letters spelling out TOM appearing in front of her, along with SLIDE TO ANSWER. She watches it for a few more seconds, before sliding her thumb along the screen and raising it to her ear.

"Hello."

"Hi."

"How are you?"

There's soft chuckling in the background. "Better now that you're here. You?"

"A little scared," she replies, a smile on her face. Both of them laugh, lapsing back into comfortable silence.

"What are you up to?" Tom asks after a few moments of this quiet.

"Biology." Lexi picks up her pen and begins to idly doodle across an empty page in her notebook. "I don't particularly want to be downstairs and have to make conversation with my boss whilst my brother watches her adoringly."

"Ouch."

"Tell me about it. Usually I stay as far away from them as I possibly can." She pauses. "What are you doing?"

"Working out how I'm going to talk to you, mostly."

"Oh? Am I really _that_ unapproachable?"

"The pretty ones usually are."

Lexi snorts as she reclines back, nestled against the mountain of pillows she keeps on her bed. "You must be thinking of someone else, then."

"No. I know I'm definitely thinking of you."

"Yeah, yeah. I bet you use that line on everyone."

"You'd think so, but no - What?" There's the muffled sound of someone else talking in the background as Tom holds the phone away from him. "No, it's, um-" He sounds shy all of a sudden "- it's a friend."

"Hi, A Friend!" A muffled voice calls from somewhere at the other end of the line and Tom laughs. "Sorry. My dad likes to think he's funny."

Lexi chuckles. "Tell him hello from me."

"She says hello!" There's scuffling from the other end as Tom moves from his original seat to a new location, the phone back to his ear now. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

Lexi takes this opportunity to glance out of the window at the darkening neighbourhood, the amber glow of the street lights illuminating the pavement. "If you decide to drop by the shop tomorrow. I'm working all afternoon."

"At least this means I've got something to look forward to."

"Don't get your hopes up. I'm not very exciting."

"Well, _I_ think you're very exciting," Tom says matter-of-factly, as if this statement was law and should not be disputed. "Exciting, and funny, and cute, and overall just interesting in general."

Lexi isn't quite sure how to respond to that other than to start chuckling giddily as she stares at the dark ceiling above her, shifting so that an arm is trapped under her head, acting as a pillow. This is the sort of thing that happens in books; this doesn't happen in real life, and certainly not to her.

"You still there?"

Oops. She's been quiet for a while now. "Yes. Still here. Just thinking."

"What about?"

She laughs a little as she shakes her head. "Everything."

"Intriguing." There's a comfortable pause. "Do you have a favourite song?"

"Yes." Lexi glances towards the turntable that's gone silent yet again. She quickly changes it to the record that she purchased earlier that day, burrowing back into bed as fast as she can. "I'll have to play it for you sometime."

"I'd like that."

"So would I."

More silence. "Are you tired?"

"Very much so. Biology is kind of draining after a while." She has to stifle a yawn as she speaks. "I'll probably drop off any minute now."

"Sweet dreams."

"You too." She waits. "Aren't you going to hang up?"

"Nope. You?"

"Probably not."

"Well, then. I guess we'll just have to sit here and wait until one of us hangs up."

"Okay." Lexi settles her head on an actual pillow, snuggling down further into the pile of blankets, careful not to dislodge any Biology notes from the windowsill as she settles down, regardless of the fact that she's still in her jumper and jeans from the long day she's just had.

"You hung up yet?" Tom whispers suddenly.

"No. You?"

"Nope."

"Okay." Lexi smiles as she lets her eyes drift closed, sliding into the peaceful world of dreams, lulled to sleep by the gentle acoustic record and the sound of Tom's quiet breathing in her ear.


	6. Infamous for being Infamous

_**6\. Infamous for being Infamous**_

Lexi lets out a muffled noise of complaint as she shifts under her mountain of blankets, rolling over to try and escape the dull grey light of the autumn morning coming in through her window. Something's suddenly digging into the side of her face, and it's really really uncomfortable.

Her hand flails around, sliding over pillow after pillow until her fingers find her phone, forcing her eyes to open so that she can squint at the screen.

Someone's going to have a rather large phone bill by the end of the month, she notices immediately. The call is still going.

She presses it to her ear, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. "Tom?" She mumbles. "You there?"

There's an equally muffled noise from the other end of the line, before, "I am now," meets her ears, followed by, "Has this call been going all night?"

"Seems like it."

"Great." Tom doesn't sound as bothered as he probably should. He's probably more concerned about being dragged from his comfortable sleep.

"What time is it?" Lexi wonders quietly, dragging her free hand across her eyes to try and free the sleep from them, plucking at the soft strands of her rumpled jumper from the previous day.

"Uh...a little after seven, I think. Why?"

A little after _seven_? "Dammit," she groans, kicking off the cocoon of her duvet with her right foot as the left one slides out of bed and tries to find leverage on the ground. "I have a Biology lecture at eight o'clock this morning and I should have been up half an hour ago. Guess I'd better get moving if I want to make it."

"Guess so." Tom yawns in her ear (and if that isn't just the cutest thing she's ever heard, although she doesn't say that aloud). "I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Later," Lexi agrees, and hangs up before they can get into the whole debate again, using her arm to drag herself off of her bed. The house is silent as she stumbles across the landing towards the bathroom. Varg must have already left for the day, and taken Lyzera with him, thank goodness, so at least Lexi won't have to worry about running into them wearing only a towel when she's finished with the quickest shower of her existence so far.

She tucks her damp hair under a beanie hat when she's out of the bathroom, pulling on the first clothes she sees - a clean pair of jeans, and a faded t-shirt that's seen better days, throwing a long plaid shirt on over the top to cover up the atrocity - scooping up her Biology notes and dumping them into her rucksack. She passes by the kitchen as she races down the stairs, grabbing another handful of cherries to snack on during the walk to the tube station.

Her phone buzzes in her top pocket almost as soon as she's stepped outside.

 **You moving yet? [Sent 07.25]**

 _I was. Not now, thanks to you :) [Sent 07.26]_

 **What can I say? I use my skills :) [Sent 07.26]**

Lexi grins at the screen before pocketing the device again, only to remove it a few minutes later when it buzzes again. It's not Tom this time, however. It's Jathro.

 _ **I'm sorry. I know I said I'd leave you and Mr Mysterious alone, but seriously, where are you? Fisher will roast you on a spike if you're late. [Sent 07.32]**_

 _On my way. [Sent 07.33]_

She puts the phone away again and picks up speed, her walking boots crunching through the layer of burnt red and brown leaves that have fallen from the trees that surround the tube station. She has to run in order to catch the current train, almost missing it by less than two seconds.

Jathro is tapping his fingers impatiently on the desk when she eventually straggles through the door of the Biology lab. Mr Fisher doesn't look too impressed either.

"Miss Nekross," he greets her, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm so glad that you felt the need to crawl out of bed and join us."

"Sorry," Lexi mumbles, hurrying to her seat to make sure that no one spots the blush that's creeping up to her cheeks.

Jathro leans in closer in order to avoid being heard. "Late night, huh?"

"No, actually. Just a very peaceful sleep."

He rolls his eyes. "Sounds like someone's in love."

"Shut up." Lexi elbows him playfully, digging around in her bag for her notes when her phone vibrates again.

 **Did you make it? [Sent 8.05]**

 _Not exactly. [Sent 8.05]_

 **Oh. Sorry. [Sent 08.06]**

 _Don't be. My fault for not setting my alarm. :) [Sent 08.06]_

"Tom Clarke?" Jathro whispers as the two of them watch the little grey message bubble appear on the screen. "Why are you texting _him_?" Lexi sends him a confused look - and suddenly, he understands.

" _Oh, my God!_ "

"Is there a problem over there, you two?" Mr Fisher glares in their direction, stopping mid-sentence in his monologue about blood transfusions.

"No, Sir," Lexi replies quickly, glaring at Jathro, who is now frantically scribbling on a piece of paper.

 **Tom Clarke.** **TOM CLARKE** **. You never said anything about the mystery tube guy being him!**

 _I don't understand. Who is he?_

 **WHO IS HE** **. Lexi, he goes to the same university as us!**

 _Does he? I've never seen him before._

 **He's doing something in sports, I think. I'm not too sure, I wasn't really concentrating at the time - I was more focused on the fact that his friend blew up the chemistry labs. He's infamous, you know.**

 _Infamous for what?_

 **I don't know. Just infamous for being infamous, I guess. I can't believe you didn't recognise him! HOW DID YOU NOT RECOGNISE HIM.**

 _I don't exactly keep up with gossip._

"Just like you don't keep up with your Biology lectures, Miss Nekross, Mr Kooth." Mr Fisher has yet again made his way right behind them without them noticing. "If I were you, Lexi, I'd stick to blood transfusions and give Mr Clarke a miss."

Jathro pulls a face behind his back once he's walked away.

"Flowerpot revolution!" He whispers under his breath.


	7. Se dépêcher

_**7.**_ _ **Se dépêcher**_

"I can't believe you didn't know who -"

"Yes, alright, Jathro!" Lexi aims a weak punch in the vague direction of his arm as she shrugs her coat on over her shirt now that her shift is finally _finally_ over for the day. "I get the point."

"I don't think that you do," Jathro replies, poking his head around the door of the small cupboard-like space that Lyzera has allowed them to use as a coat room. "You didn't know who Tom Clarke was, Lex'. That's pretty bad."

"How so?"

"We're supposed to be in the prime age group for knowing everybody else's business. Once we get out of here, others will frown on our tendency to gossip about everybody. For example, there's a rumour going round that Meena and I were secretly engaged last year, and I'm sure as heck not going to correct them, but you wouldn't get this in the workplace - well, any workplace that's not ours, anyway. The only rumours going around there will be about who stole the stapler from the stationary cupboard."

"And I guarantee that will be you."

"Eh, probably. You can never have too many staplers, after all."

"I'm glad to know that you appreciate the important things in life." Lexi rolls her eyes, dropping her phone into her rucksack as Jathro disappears from the doorway, only to reappear a few seconds later.

"Okay, Princess?"

Lexi raises an eyebrow. "Yeeeeees?"

"Don't panic or anything, but you might have got a visitor?"

"Why would I panic about that?" She pulls a face. People have dropped in to see her whilst she's working before. That's no big deal.

Well, okay, _one person_ , and that might have only been Varg who wasn't really there for her, but that still counts. Right? Right.

"Oh, I don't know." Jathro throws a wink in her direction. "Because it might be a certain Tom Clarke?"

Okay. Jathro had been right about the panic after all.

"He's - Why is he _here_?" Her hand goes to her messy hair, madly running her fingers through the strands, trying to neaten it, make it look at least somewhat presentable, which doesn't exactly go very well.

"Hang on, I'll ask!" Jathro vanishes from sight again, and Lexi can hear his voice echoing from outside as he calls across the shop. "Oi, Clarkey! She says, _Why are you here_?" There's the sound of Tom replying, something she can't quite pick up, before Jathro is back. "Apparently, he's under the impression that you told him to be here."

"Did I?"

"Well, if you don't know, I'm sure I don't." Jathro raises an eyebrow. "Can you just ask him yourself so that I actually go home now? Not that I don't love being your little angel messenger and all that, but my mother promised that she'd cook me my favourite meal tonight - I think it's a bribe to keep me from going out with you anywhere - and I'm willing to utilise this."

"So your favourite meal of fish fingers and spaghetti is more important than spending time with me? Nice to know where I stand, Jath'."

"Lexi, never come between a man and his stomach. It's the most valuable life lesson you can learn for when you and Clarkey tie the knot."

"Oh, ha ha," Lexi says snarkily, although she can feel her face starting to burn a little. "You're hilarious, Jathro. I can always rely on you for a comedic input."

"I wouldn't expect you to keep me around for any other reason." Jathro rests a hand on her shoulder and uses it to steer her out of the makeshift coat room and into the shop.

Tom's face lights up when he sees her. "Hey there."

"Hi," she replies, curling a loose strand of hair behind her ear in order to stop herself from wringing her hands together like a crazy person.

Jathro clears his throat from behind them. "Well, I hate to be the one interrupting this little lover embrace, however little embracing is actually going on, but my mother's cooking spaghetti for me tonight, so if we could move this on, that would be great."

Despite the embarrassment at Jathro calling this a "little lover embrace", Lexi still manages to fire a pretty hefty sarcastic expression in her best friend's direction. "Oh, everything's always about you, isn't it, Jathro?"

"I consider my selfishness to be my greatest quality, Princess," Jathro quips. "Now, can I go home and get my spaghetti, please? Mummy's actually showing me love for once, and I need to soak it up whilst I still can." He flaps his hands towards the door in a shoo-ing motion. "Come on! Let's go, people! _Se dépêcher_!"

"Is he always like this?" Tom mutters conspiringly in Lexi's ear as they get hustled from the building by an impatient Jathro.

"Nothing keeps Jathro from food." Lexi shrugs as she replies, nodding towards her best friend, who's striding down the street in the direction of the nearest bus station, not bothering to call a goodbye over his shoulder. Lexi's pretty sure that she'll get a Skype call from him later, however, so it doesn't bother her.

She coughs suddenly in order to clear the awkward silence. "So, um, why _did_ you want to see me?"

"I thought we could...y'know, hang out or something." Tom shrugs too, scuffing his trainers against the pavement. "That is, if you want to -"

"Yes," Lexi says, far too eagerly, and then clears her throat again. If Jathro was there, he'd be laughing at her right now. "I mean, yeah. Sure. That could be fun."

His face brightens almost immediately. "Really? Cool." His hand moves towards hers, almost as if he's attempting to grab her hand, then thinks better and recoils, choosing to push strands of hair away from his face instead. "So, uh, how about chips?"

"Yeah." Lexi feels her mouth curl into a smile. "Chips sound good."


End file.
